Forget the World Cup. Saturday will see 20 teams meet at the annual Football vs Homophobia tournament hosted by The University of Nottingham.

England and Arsenal striker Kelly Smith will be on hand to cheer on players and hand out trophies at the event, which takes place at the University Park Sports Centre.

Organised by the University’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Questioning (LGBTQ) staff network, the tournament is part of a national campaign to promote the ideal of ‘football for everyone’.

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Claire Henson, the University’s Equality and Diversity Events Co-ordinator, said: “The tournament is now an important part of The University of Nottingham Equality and Diversity events programme and we are proud to have supported this event for the last five years.”

The idea behind the Football v Homophobia campaign — and tournaments like the one in Nottingham — is to take a clear stand against homophobia so that everyone can enjoy the beautiful game and so that football leads the way in removing discrimination and prejudice based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

The opening ceremony begins at 10.30am, with the tournament kicking off at 11am. The closing ceremony is at 4.45pm. For more information, email claire.henson@nottingham.ac.uk

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Notes to editors: The University of Nottinghamhas 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with campuses in China and Malaysia modelled on a headquarters that is among the most attractive in Britain’ (Times Good University Guide 2014). It is also the most popular university in the UK among graduate employers, one of the world’s greenest universities, and winner of the Times Higher Education Award for ‘Outstanding Contribution to Sustainable Development’. It is ranked in the World’s Top 75 universities by the QS World University Rankings.